Edyta Sliwinska has written a new blog at Dancing Pros about the producers pairing celebrities with the pros on Dancing With The Stars. In her new blog, she examines “who puts these couples together, how does it happen and, is it fair?” Let’s just say matching dancers and celebrities based on age, look, height or personality isn’t always how producers pair the couples up. Creating the right demographic for buzz, controversy, drama, and purchasing power is more the case. Are you surprised? Below is a take….

So let’s abandon this nonsense notion that the producers try to match dancers and celebrities based on age, look, height or personality. I could give many more examples to prove my point: Cheryl Burke and Chad Ochocinco (huge height difference), Karina Smirnoff and Steve Wozniak (this time the producers went for the ‘Beauty and the Geek’ theme), Derek Hough and Jennifer Grey ( born over 25 years apart). And really, if once in a while a couple happens to be a perfect match, I would claim that it simply happened by chance. The real motivation of the matchmakers from hell at DWTS is to create controversy and buzz. And therefore Cheryl was paired up with Chad and Karina Smirnoff with Mario Lopez, because the prediction was that these attractive and single people, paired up together would certainly generate rumors about their romantic involvement. And they did. However, publicity-hungry producers, at the same time created some great partnerships. My personal opinion is that not many couples could match the amazing chemistry that Mario and Karina showcased on the dance floor in season 2. You might also guess that egotistical Max Chmerkovskiy is not coincidently paired up with some of the strongest women that had appeared on the show. Leila Ali, Misty May-Tranor, Hope Solo and Erin Andrews succeeded in professions dominated by men. Mel B, Debi Mazar and Kirstie Alley are known for their feisty personalities. Pair up a woman who knows how to stand up for herself with an arrogant Russian dancer and you will get a recipe for a drama.

Getting a right demographic of the audience has been a long time struggle for the producers of DWTS. Please don’t get offended if you are 49 or older, but the most desired viewers age, the one that advertisers are willing to pay big bucks for, is between 18 and 49. These are the ages of people believed to have the most purchasing power. Personally I think its nonsense. Most people over 50 that I know spend and have more money then people my age. But I’m not here to convince you about the defectiveness of TV executive’s thinking. It’s a simple fact: major TV networks do everything to attract younger audiences. Does it surprise you then that younger pros usually get better celebrities? When Cheryl Burke won DWTS twice in a row she was at the time the youngest dancer on the show. Later, even younger Julianne Hough, Mark Ballas and Derek Hough replaced her on the podium.

Luckily for the audience the producers can’t predict everything. Some couples who were favored to win were voted off someway along the way, like Mark Ballas and Sabrina Bryan. Others, who no one expected to do well, made it to the finals or even won like Alec Mazo and Kelly Monaco in season 1. This tiny bit of unpredictability might be the reason why you still watch the show with a trill.

I have to say I am not surprised by a lot of what she writes. I love this show and I will continue to watch and be a major fan, but, sometimes, I have to wonder about the heart behind the scenes? Also, I would suffice it to say that Maks is a guaranteed ‘shoe in’ to be on this show for as long as he wants (not that I mind that as long as he doesn’t cross the line like last season).

Heidi’s Note: Edyta complains that the producers are after a big audience and as much fireworks as possible??? Can I get a resounding DUH!!!! Please? Gee, that’s why TV shows exist. Anyone who thinks their only goal is to entertain or be “fair” is naive in the extreme.

A) NONE Of this is a surprise, but; B) Edyta doesn’t know jack about how they cast the show. She was one of the dancers, not one of the producers. She’s hypothesizing like everyone else, but she’s got an actual ax to grind (from the sound of it) since she’s never won the show. Her explanation for Derek, Mark and Julianne winning?? They get preferential pairings because they were younger. She clearly hasn’t seen a complete listing of Maks’ partners (or Derek’s, Mark’s or Julianne’s for that matter). Of course, she implies that Maks’ partnerships are designed to create fireworks – that doesn’t mean they aren’t good dancers or ringers. At the end of the day, Edyta’s opinion is no more valid or “true” than Maks’ is when he said that “Derek always gets great partners” or when DEREK does one of his usual PC song and dances. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle. I think she’s right about some things, bitter about others. Just like everyone else.

I would also argue that the female celebs are easier to match with male pros than vice versa – the female celebs are more likely to be shorter or similar in heights, and they are more likely to have previous dance or performing experience. The producers can tinker more with matching personalities, age groups, whatever. With male celebs you are more likely to have a huge variation in height and are therefore limited in pairings….as for age not playing a part?? I bet it does…but Edyta never even considers the fact that some celebrities have the clout to request a particular professional. People have requested Derek, Mark and Maks (and probably Edyta herself, along with Cheryl and Julianne, etc)….and they’ve gotten them. When you have a couple celebs in a season making requests and getting them, that really narrows down who the remaining ones can be paired with.

Of course she’s right about them wanting ratings and the various ways they will go about getting those ratings…they’re in business. But I think she over simplifies and makes the easy argument without considering all the angles. Just like many fans of the show.

I'm a fashion and music fan....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. One of my favorite dancing quotes at the moment: "No matter what, nobody can take away the dance you've already had...." ~Gleb Savchenko . For fun music and dance mixes, visit WilUnleashed Soundcloud.

28 responses to "Casting: How Far Will Dancing With The Stars Go For Ratings And Popularity? (Rant Post)"

I have a hard time believing a lot of this, just because the tone of the piece is so…bitter. Angry. Very un-Edyta. I agree with Heidi – she’s clearly got an axe to grind. In fact, I can’t help but wonder if some seedy journalist may have ghostwritten this post for her – it sounds so sensationalized and in-your-face, which is not at all the impression I’ve gotten of Edyta during her time on the show and from following her on Twitter. This does not sound like the way Edyta talks – she may revealed some info, but I honestly do not see her using words like “egotistical” or phrases like “matchmakers from hell”. I’m taking this one with a BIG grain of salt…

…and while Edyta (or whoever wrote this post) thinks that they’re just now breaking this scandalous news that *gasp!* the producers go for what wil get ratings…ummm, DUH. But I disagree that height and age don’t play at least some role in the process – there have been too many physically well-matched couples to say that the producers throw those factors out the window when pairing up celebs. As for Cheryl & Chad – it would not suprise me if he requested her. Just like Nicole, Jennifer, and Ricki requested Derek, and like Kirstie requested Maks, and Kelly requested someone that would “kick her ass”. The pairing process is not black-and-white – there’s a million shades of grey. Not gonna lie: kinda disappointed in Edyta after reading this. I don’t think it painted her in a very nice light.

At the end of the day, it’s all about what’s going to create ratings and pull in most of the desired demographic. Dollars and cents. And to that end… fair goes right out the window.

“The real motivation of the matchmakers from hell at DWTS is to create controversy and buzz.”

I think that just about covers it. And don’t forget, buzz can certainly mean “Damn, those two have terrific chemistry together!” a la Ralph and Karina, for instance. Positive buzz is still buzz and does cause water cooler talk and draws people in.

Am I the only one who remembers how angry and bitter Edyta sounded when she left the show so abruptly? (So abruptly that there was a scramble to partner the male celebs) The tone of this post of hers doesn’t surprise me one bit. And really, since then, she hasn’t said much at all about DWTS except to say that she’s moved on. Yeah, there’s lots of not so great blood there – much of it stemming from the treatment Alec was given by the show (as I remember from remarks at the time she left.)

I saw Edyta’s blog a few days ago, and then just let it stew in the back of my mind, without mentioning it to anyone, because it seemed so hateful.

No, it doesn’t sound like Edyta, or at least, the Edyta that I knew on the show. I am just thinking that the split between the Mazos, and the show really was as bad as has been said…. She, if it was just her writing, is definitely letting off some steam that seems to have been simmering for a while.

Yes, it does seem like she could have had some writing help…. I did look back through, since she titled it as blog 3, to look for her other blogs…. The first was Edyta’s, where she talked about how she got on the show, and the second was Alec, where he talked about working with his wife. All 3 do seem to have a similar writing style.

What do I think about what she said? I think I’ll just continue to let it all simmer for a while more.

@Evaine – She was angry then, but I don’t think she was irrational – you could tell she was upset but she didn’t resort to slingling insults or using such over-the-top language. It was very “I am not happy about how things turned out, but it’s just time to move on.” And like you said, she hasn’t really said much else since then other than “I’ve moved on” – so why come out swinging so hard and so suddenly now, over a year later? It just doesn’t make much sense to me – especially since she seems so happy with her life now – doing BWAT, taking college courses, spending more time with Alec, etc. That’s why I’m wondering if she was either baited into posting something so inflammatory, or someone “punched it up” for her.

I have no doubt that someone ‘punched’ it up for her because I don’t think her written English would be so good. That being said, I’m sure she had to approve it, so… she obviously stands by it. I found her silence over the past year to confirm that the leaving was not a positive thing.

And I have to agree with Heidi, the only thing that stuck out as overly harsh, to me, was her description of Maks. Yes, he’s arrogant, but not quite egotistical. (Actually, those descriptions sounded rather male in tone… hmmm… the post editor at work?)

I’m looking forward to seeing what she has to say in part 2,to be honest.

@ Princess heidi: I agree with you totally! Its so much easier to pair male celebs up with the female pros. I feel like thats why certain female pros never win. Most of the time its the male celebrites that need the most work/improvement in order to stay in the competition and some just have egos that are bigger than their heads.

I agree with her about Maks though. Every partner he has had has been tough in one way or another. T5hey know better than to give a tempermental and non-tough celeb. Tough partner = Maks doing something sttupid or opening his mouth to complain about something which = ratings.

I have a hunch she is not the author because, if I remember correctly, her first blog had some spelling errors and wrong word usage as English is not her first language. This blog is slickly written and I wonder if whoever wrote it took a few comments and thoughts she had and just expanded it into a vitriolic rant. Hard to know.

It may be that someone else edited it some, and punched-up some things, but I figure the the gist of what’s there came from Edyta. I agree with everyone who said it sure seems bitter, especially towards TPTB. For everyone that had a glimmer of hope that Edyta would return to DWTS, this ought to answer the question.

@lizzbeth – No, Edyta distinctly said “Chad and Cheryl”, as it wouldn’t really support her argument to mention Rick & Cheryl – since Cheryl only ended up with Rick because that’s who Edyta was supposed to have the season she ended up quitting. The only reason that partnership of such a height difference occured is because the producers had to scramble at the last minute due to Edyta’s exit. That said, I don’t think the Chad-Cheryl partnership was a very good illustration of Edyta’s point about height difference – if you recall, none of the female pros that season were particularly tall. Cheryl, Anna, Ashly, Chelsie, & Edyta herself are all 5’6″ and under. Is Edyta just salty that Cheryl got Chad and made it to the semifinals while she got Aiden and was voted out the 3rd week? Cause if that’s the case, I doubt Chad would have made it as far as he did without Cheryl – she’s got a great track record for getting celebs much further than anyone ever predicted. I think Edyta (or whoever was helping/goading her on in writing this post) was just grasping at straws for something to bitch about and sensationalize. Too bad it just kinda made her look…well, bitchy.

Hell, Aiden could have been another Cameron Mathison – same soap, same fanbase, same “hot guy” appeal…and Aiden had a sexy accent, to boot. I just don’t think Edyta really put in the work to help him realize his full potential – I get the feeling she wanted a “gimme”, a partner who didn’t require a ton of work to make look good, since she seems to think that Julianne, Mark, and Derek all get the “easy” partners.

But then the fact that she decided to leave at the beginning of season 11 just bugs – was she really pissed that she got Rick? I realize there were other factors in play, but I just don’t see how Rick could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back…dude was athletic, well-known, more personable than Aiden, and just so damn pretty. If I were her, I would have been excited – he could have been another Jason Taylor. Makes me wonder if she was hoping for real ringer. Edyta seems to forget that she got some pretty good partners herself – Joey, Cameron, & Jason weren’t exactly chopped liver.

I am sure Edyta is not the only one. I think there are few other pros not happy with how things are run with the show but they have to “suck it up” in order to pay their bills. But isn’t that how it is everywhere you work.

It was time for Edyta to move on, Alec was boring (I didn’t watch Season 1), but it must have been terrible if Alec won MBT, and Edyta’s cheorography was turning out to be the “same old dance just a different partner.” But, her body was to die for….. :8O

All I remember was that she was planning to do season 11 because she had a Q&A session and said she didn’t know who would be her partner but they were looking forward to doing the show for at least another 2 seasons after season 10. Things must’ve gone south pretty fast because she was talking about it in August before season 11 announcement. I like Edyta, and I don’t mind Alec, but Alec is a bit boring compared to the other male pros that have different personalities that stand out. I think that’s why they “canned” him because even with well known/talented partners, he didn’t go very far. (Toni Braxton, Natalie Coughlin)

The saddest part of this blog post is that it’s the nail in the coffin of Edyta ever coming back. When someone goes public like this calling out the producers, etc there’s no way they’ll ever bring her back. *sad*

I think this is definitely her writing. It has her poor English and all. The reason people see it as different is that Edyta was acting on the show. The whole article is about how couples are framed in a certain light. She wanted to be framed a certain way on TV as well and so she acted for the camera also. Thus we see the inner Edyta come out when she is angry about something.

Her theories about couples have some major issues, but it doesn’t really matter. No doubt the producers are monkeying with pairings for ratings. That’s not news.

Wait. I thought Edyta was supposed to have gotten Kyle in Season 11? Didn’t Lacey gripe about not being on and then, last minute she was in and Edyta was out?

As for the rant post, I hate to say it, but I too wonder if she wrote this. I remember Edyta’s English wasn’t top notch, but those words just don’t sound like the Edyta I remember. English or no English. It just doesn’t sound like her.

@Nathan – The way I’ve heard it related, this is originally how season 11 was supposed to be: Rick with Edyta, Michael with Cheryl, Kyle with Chelsie, Lacey sits out. Edyta backs out, so Lacey comes back in. Rick was 6’7″, and at 5’4″, Cheryl was the tallest of the remaining 3 ladies, so she got him. Either Michael really did NOT want Lacey or TPTB didn’t like the idea of Michael with Lacey (can’t say I disagree – although I don’t think he really would have meshed well with ANY of the female pros), so Chelsie (the more level-headed of the two) gets Michael, leaving Lacey with Kyle. Make sense? I’ve also heard some claime that Cheryl was originally supposed to have Kyle, but I have a hard time believing that they’d give her someone so young, and that they wanted Chelsie with Michael all along. Makes more sense to me that Kyle would have originally been with Chelsie.

Heh – I was sitting about 10 feet away from Derek when he said that he never worked harder with a partner than he did with Nicole. Jennifer was second. Yep, they were wins, but they were tough wins and he (and his partners) busted their asses. There was a ton of pressure and anxiety with both of them. Coincidentally, he was asked who his “favorite” partner was and he started with his PC song and dance, but the name that was first mentioned was Nicole, followed by Jennifer….he then mentioned Brooke, Jennie and Kim, but he definitely seemed to have Nicole and Jennifer up there at the top of the list. That was my feeling from listening to him talk.

Maybe Edyta needs to remove a bit of the green from her view and recognize that winning requires busting your ass even with someone with natural talent or past performing experience.